According to The Register-Guard, “Employees, former employees and advertisers said they have been told that 31 of the station’s approximately 50 workers received layoff notices after sale of the station to Seattle-based Fisher Communications closed on Monday, retroactive to June 1.”

Donna Smith, president of the Adlib Advertising Agency told The Register-Guard, “We buy (advertising spots on) the evening and late night news. I’ve asked questions of them: ‘Whose news is going to be on? Is it going to be a replay of KVAL News? Are you going to hire cheaper (anchors)? Is the price going to go down? And what’s going to happen in four months when it’s all taken over by Sinclair?’ ”

Julie Koranda, media director at a Eugene marketing firm of Baden & Co., said she’s worried about the branding of the station. She said KMTR leads the other stations in areas that matter to her clients.

“I have been holding off on my third-quarter orders, trying to figure out what’s going to happen and how great the changes are going to be,” she said. “I don’t want to book a ton of money on something if it’s not going to be the product I’m looking for, or that I’ve had in the past.